Dallas cowboy lineman charged with “intoxication manslaughter”

Josh Brent, Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman, has been charged with “intoxication manslaughter” after a car accident that killed his teammate and friend, Jerry Brown. In Washington state, the equivalent charge would be “vehicular manslaughter.”

The car accident occurred around 2:20am Saturday morning in Dallas. Police say that Brent was speeding when his vehicle hit a curb and flipped. Unfortunately, Brent’s teammate and friend Jerry Brown was killed in the accident.

Follow-up news reports revealed that Josh Brent had a previous DUI charge while he was in college. In that incident, Brent took a plea deal and he was sentenced to probation and 60 days in jail.

While the facts in this accident are headliners because the of the high profile individuals involved, this scenario happens over and over again nightly in cities across the nation. Two friends out drinking and, instead of calling a taxi, one of the parties involved getting behind the wheel and driving.

In fatal alcohol-related accidents, 59% of those killed are the driver, 19% are passengers, 11% people in other vehicles and 7% pedestrians or bicyclists.

Many people are reviewing Brent’s first DUI conviction and calling his first DUI conviction sentencing “lenient”. They say that. had Brent been incarcerated longer after his first DUI, Brown would be alive today. While that may or may not be true, we also need to look at the culture of drinking and driving. Surely these two, could have called a cab or even, in their circumstances, hired a limo. Choosing to drive drunk and choosing to ride with a drunk can be a fatal decision.
This information is provided by Seattle Car Accident Lawyer blog, a service of The Farber Law Group. We represent drunk driving accident victims and their families. With more than 30 years experience, we work hard to protect the rights of our clients.